


Little Talks

by breeisonfire



Series: Shutter 'verse [6]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Lydia Martin is awesome, M/M, Pack Feels, Pre-Relationship, Scott is a pretty good Alpha, There will probably be angst because Derek's involved, lots of talking, sterek, we're getting there guys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-21
Updated: 2014-01-28
Packaged: 2018-01-09 13:37:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1146630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breeisonfire/pseuds/breeisonfire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Scott and Lydia meddle, Derek is awkward, and Stiles is...Stiles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! I'm back with a new chapter story, this one's gonna be shorter than the last. I loved Teen Wolf last night, especially Scott being all Alpha and trusting Stiles and Isaac and it made me happy so I'm gonna write some more. But yeah, here's the next story in the lovely world that is the Shutter 'verse that I'm having fun in. Still beta'd by the amazing whatthehale and I wish I knew how to link in the notes so I could do that, but I don't and I'm too lazy to learn how to.
> 
> Enjoy!

It takes three days before Stiles feels recovered enough to go back to school. There’s a certain sense of relief that he’s pretty sure the entire pack can feel when he gets the okay from Deaton. He’s glad to be free, because he’s never done well with staying home, even when it’s for his health, and if he has to stay inside his house for one more day, he’s going to lose his mind. He’s pretty sure he’s already there, considering the state of his usually more organized bedroom and the amount of research he’s done (if a manticore ever comes to town, he’s prepared).

So it’s a huge relief to go to school. Especially since the entire pack has been busy, popping over to his house to check on him when they can. He’s seen Scott everyday, usually for five or ten minutes. Lydia, Isaac, and Allison all came over on Tuesday to entertain him when his dad had to go to work. Derek only showed up for about a half an hour on Wednesday, and he was distracted the entire time. Stiles had no idea what that was about, since he’d been texting Derek and they’d had normal conversations (or normal for them; Stiles has learned that no matter how ridiculous of a tangent he goes on, Derek always responds with some comment that isn’t mocking. It leads to several crazy conversations).

He’s not allowed to drive for various reasons, the most annoying being that he’d been abducted last time he’d driven alone, so Allison and Lydia swing by his house to pick him up on their way to school. They both greet him with a bright smile, and Stiles can’t help but give one back as he climbs into the back seat.

“How are you feeling?” Lydia asks as Allison pulls away from his house.

“Really good,” Stiles says. He’s not lying; the three days off of school, while boring, did him well, and he’s no longer dizzy or weak. It’s a relief.

Allison and Lydia start to fill him in on what he’s missed in the classes they have together. He has English with both of them, along with Scott and Isaac, and he and Lydia have both physics and calculus together. Gym he has with Scott and Isaac, and he only has Scott with him in History and Economics. Luckily, Scott had picked up all of his homework, so that’s at least up to date.

He follows Allison and Lydia to their English class, spotting Scott and Isaac immediately. They come over as soon as they’re in the door.

“Hey,” Scott says, his eyes immediately examining Stiles up and down. Stiles puts up with it, because he knows that Scott’s Alpha instinct makes him a bit overprotective, and to be fair, they had every reason to hover, no matter how annoying Stiles thought it was. Scott seems to find what he’s looking for, because he breaks into a smile. “Looks like you’re better.”

“Yeah, hallelujah,” Stiles says. “If I’d been stuck at home one more day, I may have broken something. Possibly not on purpose.”

Scott snorts. “As long as it isn’t one of your bones.”

Stiles rolls his eyes. “Yeah, because I don’t have fucking werewolf healing.”

“Nope,” Scott just grins at him. They’ve been through this conversation enough times that Scott knows Stiles doesn’t really mean anything by it. He’s just sometimes frustrated by the fact that humans heal much, much, _much_ slower than werewolves.

“Hey,” Stiles suddenly says. “Do you guys know what’s up with Derek? Because he came over yesterday, and he seemed a little off.”

Isaac and Allison both look confused and they shake their heads. Lydia’s less confused and more irritated, and Scott doesn’t even react beyond raising an eyebrow. There’s nothing that frustrates Stiles more than not knowing something, especially when others do, but the bell rings and he’s forced to let go of it until later.

And at first it seems like there isn’t going to be a later, because every time he asks, Lydia just gives him that look that makes him feel like he’s missing something totally obvious, and Scott pretends he doesn’t say anything. He feels like he messed something up, and it’s annoying. He’s considering bribing Lydia into talking when Scott corners him in the locker room after gym.

“Are you finally going to tell me what the hell is going on?” Stiles asks as Danny, the last person to leave the locker room, closes the door behind him. Scott shifts on his feet.

“Okay,” Scott says. “Look, I need to talk to you about something.”

Stiles narrows his eyes. “Is this Scott, my Alpha, or Scott, my friend talking?” Generally he’s able to tell the difference. Scott carries himself a little bit differently, a little taller, when he’s in Alpha mode, and his voice always has this authoritative tone that Stiles is pretty sure he never would have gotten away with before he’d been bit. Right now, though, he’s not sure, because Scott seems to be both standing taller _and_ hunching over, and Stiles doesn’t know if he’s in trouble or if Scott really just wants to talk to him.

“Little bit of both,” Scott answers. “I need you to not deflect me, or try to talk around me, or do any of that shit you usually do when you don’t want to talk about something.”

Scott’s looking him dead in the eye, and Stiles is starting to get confused and little bit nervous. Scott is serious, in a way Stiles doesn’t often see outside of pack business, and has definitely never seen when they aren’t actively being threatened.

“There’s no trouble,” Scott says, probably picking up on the way Stiles’s heart had sped up. “It’s just, this is kind of a delicate topic and I don’t know how you’re going to react to it.”

Now Stiles is really confused, and he just stares at Scott for a second before opening his mouth. “Dude, that’s not really comforting.”

Scott rolls his eyes. “Look, just promise me you won’t brush me off and I’ll get to the point.”

Stiles sighs, but agrees. He’s too curious now to leave this conversation, anyway.

Scott studies him for a second, then says, “You should tell Derek about how you feel towards him.”

And _that_ is nowhere near what Stiles was expecting. It’s so epically different from what Stiles had been worrying about that he accidentally lets out a laugh, earning a look from Scott.

Then what Scott actually said hits him, and Stiles has to choke back an immediately denial, because he knows Scott won’t appreciate it. He takes a second to think about it, or think about it again, because this is definitely not the first time he’s had to acknowledge this.

Whatever _this_ is. Because Stiles doesn’t know what _this_ is. He’s never had any experience in this kind of thing, and he’s spent more than one night trying to figure out what he’s feeling. Because he’d thought he’d been in love with Lydia, thought he’d understood what that meant, but whatever emotions Derek seems to be bringing up in him are completely different, and it just feels like everything is upside down and backwards.

Scott’s watching his face carefully as he thinks this through, and doesn’t push him to speak. Stiles is grateful. There aren’t many things that can shut him up, but this is apparently one of them.

Finally, he clears his throat. “How do you even know about that?”

Scott gives him the look that Stiles used to get whenever he suggested they do something stupid. The one that questions whether or not Stiles actually has a brain.

“Werewolf,” he says, like that explains everything. And it does, once Stiles thinks about it.

“That’s embarrassing,” Stiles mutters. “Shouldn’t that mean Derek already knows?”

Scott rolls his eyes. “The two of you are ridiculous.”

“Hey!” Stiles can’t help but feel slightly offended.

“Stiles,” Scott says. “Stop deflecting.”

Stiles lets out an annoyed huff. “It’s a reflex. And what do you mean, ridiculous? I’ll have you know you were worse. I mean, before all your Alpha powers, you --.”

“Stiles,” Scott interrupts him. Stiles deflates.

“Why would I tell him?” he asks. “We’ve got a good friendship going. I don’t want to fuck it up.”

Scott just looks at him for a few seconds before sighing. “You really don’t see it, do you?”

“See what?” Stiles _hates_ feeling left out. He’s considering punching Scott in the face if he doesn’t just spit it out.

“Oh, my God, Stiles, Derek feels the same way,” Scott says. “You should have seen him when you were missing. He could barely keep himself under control. And he’s started talking like you, and don’t even pretend you don’t constantly text him. Dude, face it. You two are totally into each other.”

Stiles isn’t sure how to react to that. On one hand, this is incredibly embarrassing and he doesn’t even know what he’s feeling enough to explain it to himself, let alone to Scott. On the other, there’s a chance Scott could be right, and this is _Scott_ , who’s known Stiles long enough to decipher the way he talks. And God knows Scott owes him for _months_ of Allison talk. But this conversation is awkward, and Stiles doesn’t want to have it anymore, especially not in the locker room when he’s got calculus to get to.

Scott seems to sense this, because he backs off. “Just think about it, okay?”

Stiles nods, because he’s pretty sure this is going to be all he thinks about, which is both annoying and confusing. He makes it to calculus with about thirty seconds to spare, but isn’t able to focus, especially when he thinks of a joke and immediately goes to message it to Derek. He stops just as he’s about to send it, and stares at his phone.

When had that happened? When had his goal of making Derek laugh and feel more comfortable turned into whatever he was feeling? When had this gone in a completely different direction? He doesn’t know what to think about this, and doesn’t know what to do about it. Because this is all a new experience for him. How do you go tell someone you used to be sort of enemies with, then sort of allies, then tentative friends, to whatever the hell they were now, that you had developed a crush on them?

Stiles lets out a quiet groan and puts his head in his hands.

“You okay?” Lydia whispers from next to him.

“I’m having a crisis,” he says into his hands. He doesn’t even have to look at Lydia to know the look she’s giving him. He can just feel the judging.

“Have your crisis later,” she whispers. “You’re already behind.”

Stiles snorts, because he’s suddenly realized that the entire pack sucks at pep talks and he wants to text that observation to Derek and he’s really confused because he’s pretty sure that he’s lost his mind somewhere in the insanity that is his life. He lifts his head and looks at his notebook, where he hasn’t even started the assignment they’re supposed to be working on. And then he decides, fuck it, he’s going to send that observation to Derek, confused or not, because it’s funny and because he wants to hear what Derek has to say back. And then he gets to work on his assignment. He’s behind, and it allows him to use his favorite kind of coping mechanism, ignoring the problem, until later when he can properly freak out and plot.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm gonna just tell you all right now that I absolutely love Lydia Martin. And I love Derek Hale. And I have so many headcanons for the Hale family, it's insane. And so this chapter started out as Lydia telling Derek to get his head out of his ass and talking to Stiles, and it was just supposed to be sort of cut-and-dry, and then my head went, "Hey, what if we make it filled with emotions?" and this happened. And to be honest, this is probably my favorite chapter of the entire thing. It turned out way different than it was supposed to, and I regret nothing.
> 
> Still beta'd by whatthehale. Also, thank you for all the kudos! Enjoy!

Derek regrets paying for the extra copies of the key to his apartment. He’d made one for every pack member, in hopes that if they needed a safe place, his apartment would suffice. And generally, they respect his privacy. Derek’s not sure why they’ve chosen this week to disregard all of that, but this is the second time he’s come home to find a pack member just sitting on his couch, uninvited.

This time, it’s Lydia. She looks, as she always does, like she’s just walked off a runway (Derek will never admit to her how much Lydia reminds him of Laura, but his sister had always been perfectly put together, too). She’s got an advanced physics book sitting open on her lap, and is doing some sort of complex equation that Derek can’t even pretend to understand. He opts to ignore her in favor of changing out of his clothes, which are covered in sweat and dirt due to the competition that they’d had at the station (he’s learned he genuinely does like his co-workers; it’s something of a new experience for him).

He walks into the kitchen after changing to find something to eat, still ignoring Lydia. He knows better by now, really; no one in the pack, himself included, puts up with being ignored. But he’s hungry and tired, and he knows that Lydia will bring up whatever she’s here to discuss whether he’s ignoring her or not. So he waits.

Sure enough, he’s just finished making a sandwich for himself when Lydia enters. He wordlessly hands her the sandwich he’d made for her, and is secretly pleased with himself when she inspects it and nods, satisfied. He’s getting better with dealing with his pack and with people in general.

Which is why he doesn’t give Lydia a cue to speak, like he had with Scott. Derek has learned that, like Stiles, Lydia doesn’t need his permission to speak because she already knows if she has it. Scott and Isaac still wait for him to start the conversation, and Allison tends to not speak directly to him (it’s a work in progress). Stiles and Lydia, however, understand, although Derek’s not entirely sure how or why. He thinks it has something to do with the fact that they’re the smartest people in the pack. Or maybe they’re just very perceptive. Derek doesn’t know and doesn’t really care.

So he puts on some music (classical; the pack’s musical taste is very diverse, but they all agree that classical music is the best when they just need something to fill the silence) and sits down at the table, eating his sandwich. Lydia sits down with him, and Derek’s hit with the realization that it’s not as awkward as it should have been. They’re pack. It’s a warm feeling that comes with the pang of missing his family. He’s getting better, he thinks, but there’s no way he’ll ever stop missing his old pack, his family.

“So,” Lydia finally speaks when she’s done with her sandwich, interrupting his thoughts. Derek looks up as she continues, “Have you spoken to Stiles this week?”

Derek’s starting to think he should stop trying to predict the pack, because they always surprise him. He could write a book filled with the amount of things he’s heard from the pack that catch him off guard. “Yes?” he says it like a question. Of course he has. He and Stiles text and Snapchat all the time. Derek’s received so many messages from Stiles that he’s had to start deleting things.

Lydia’s not impressed. She raises an eyebrow at him and says, “I mean in person.”

And with a sudden burst of clarity, Derek knows where she’s going with this. “Have you been talking to Scott?”

Now Lydia looks surprised. “Scott’s already talked to you about this?”

“Are we talking about the same this?” Derek asks, wishing he had Stiles’s ability to ramble aimlessly until the original subject is long forgotten. It would come in handy.

“The ‘this’ where you and Stiles have a thing both of you are refusing to acknowledge?” Lydia says, giving him the look, one he’d gotten numerous times from Laura when she thought he was being dense. Not for the first time, Derek wishes his pack could have met his entire family. He’s five hundred percent sure they would have gotten along ridiculously well. Laura and Lydia would probably have taken over the world together, and Stiles and Cora (before the fire, she’d been very mischevious, a side of her that has only recently resurfaced) would have literally driven everyone insane. And Derek is reasonably sure that Scott and Derek’s younger brother, Thomas, would have been best friends. Thomas had been human, but he’d been a good person, with bright eyes and always eager to help. Thinking about him -- thinking about all of them -- is painful. It’s easier than it had used to be, but he still can’t help the wave of grief that threatens to knock him over.

Derek suddenly realizes he’s spaced off and Lydia is looking at him with something like concern. He doesn’t know what his face is showing, nor how much of it is echoing down the pack bond, but Lydia seems to know where his mind is. She doesn’t push. Instead, she sits back and and averts her eyes, allowing him time to pull himself back together. Derek is intensely grateful for it.

Finally, he clears his throat, and she looks back at him. She’s got the look that means she’s thinking through some sort of challenge and doesn’t immediately speak again, even though he knows she knows he’s okay to go on.

Finally, she says, “What’s holding you back?”

Derek opens his mouth to respond, but then closes it. Because there are so many ‘reasons’ that he’s given himself, so many things he’s convinced will go wrong, but they’re hollow excuses and he knows that Lydia won’t hesitate to tell him so. He grasps at straws and pulls out the one that he’s most worried about, the one that he’s pretty sure is a legitimate fear.

“I just don’t want to mess it up and ruin our friendship,” he says. And it’s true. Because Stiles is now Derek’s closest friend, probably the closest friend he’s had since the fire. It’s possible Stiles is the closest friend he’s ever had, not including family. He enjoys talking to him. He likes the way Stiles is never still and never quiet (Derek’s had enough silence to last him all of eternity). He likes how animated and enthusiastic Stiles gets about nearly everything. He likes how smart Stiles is, how he always has an opinion and never fails to give it. He doesn’t bother to cover up how weird he is, and he doesn’t bother to explain himself most of the time. He’s always admired how unswervingly loyal Stiles is, to Scott especially, from the very beginning.

(And man, how Derek wishes he could go back in time and explain to his past self how to approach and deal with Stiles and Scott. Because aggression and anger was not the right answer, and if he hadn’t withheld information, he would have gained their trust a lot faster.)

Similarly, Stiles has always frustrated Derek, in that he has little to no sense of self preservation, and he has a tendency to get himself in trouble with his mouth. He can’t resist a smart remark, even when faced with a psychotic teenager with a gun and a killer lizard at his command. He never knows when to let it rest, and sometimes jumps to the wrong conclusions too early. He takes unnecessary risks, like swinging a _wooden_ bat at the head of a giant Alpha. Derek’s honestly not sure how Stiles is still alive at this point, and it _drives him absolutely insane_.

These are all things he’s thought about over the past several days, arguing with a voice in the back of his head that sometimes sounds like Laura and sometimes sounds like Stiles about the probability of it ruining everything. He’s not a genius in statistics, but he’s pretty sure he’s more likely to fuck it up than make it work. And that _terrifies_ him. Because he’s got a good thing going right now, and if the past has taught him anything, it’s that when he has good things they usually don’t last. He knows that if something goes wrong, absolutely everyone is inclined to back up Stiles over him, and Derek knows that if he loses this pack, he’s not going to last. He can’t handle being alone, especially not now, when he knows he doesn’t have to be.

Lydia hasn’t said anything in a couple of minutes, and Derek looks up to see her with a thoughtful look on her face. Derek doesn’t know what that’s about, but he wants nothing more than to get up and go to the woods and run. He thinks if he did that while talking to Lydia, she’d probably try to follow him, or she’d set Stiles on him, because whenever he’s in a mood Stiles is always the one that talks to him. Which is another thing Derek likes about him, the fact that he always knows how to distract Derek and always knows what’s safe to talk about. Another thing he doesn’t want to lose.

“So,” Lydia suddenly says. “You’re more afraid of being kicked out than you are of being rejected?”

And there’s that annoying insight Derek’s starting to get used to. He’s actually relieved, because as much as this possibility scares him he’s pretty sure he’ll never be able to voice it. He’s not good with words as it is, and speaking about his emotions is so much worse. He just nods.

Lydia studies him for a second, then says, “You’re an idiot.”

Somehow Derek’s not surprised that she says that first. “Mind explaining why?” he can’t quite keep the irritation out of his voice.

“You think the pack is really that petty that we’d kick you out if you upset Stiles?” Lydia says. She actually looks _offended_ and Derek doesn’t know what to do with this. He just gives her a helpless look.

“Stiles isn’t the only one in the pack who likes your company,” Lydia says. “Do you really think we’d put up with you in the pack if that were true? Do you not know us at all?”

And that’s a really good point. The pack isn’t exactly known for keeping it quiet when they don’t like someone. It’s a thing they do, not bothering to hide their anger at certain people. Derek’s never really thought about that, to be honest. If he’d stopped to do so, he would have realized that the tension that’s always been there is almost completely gone. He would have realized that he’s been asked for his opinion on almost anything the pack talks about. He doesn’t know what to do with this information now that he’s found it.

“Even Allison’s warming up to you,” Lydia continues, apparently ignoring his epiphany, or maybe trying to help it along. “You’re not just in the pack because you’re an extra member for power, or because you have more experience than the rest of us. Pack is family, pack is more than just working together, you’re the one who explained the entire damn thing to us in the first place. For God’s sake, Derek, you’re a part of the pack because we wanted you to be, not because you have to be. If we really felt that way we would have said no from the very beginning. But we didn’t, we accepted you into the pack, and you’re just as much a part of this pack as I am, as Stiles is, as all of us are. Pull your head out of your ass.”

Derek’s honestly not sure what his emotions are doing at this point, but he’s pretty sure that if she keeps going on he’s actually going to lose control. He doesn’t trust himself to speak without betraying how choked up he is and just nods when Lydia looks at him. She nods back and continues.

“This thing you and Stiles have, whatever the hell it is, if it goes badly it’s not going to ruin everything. Scott didn’t kick Allison out of the pack when they broke up. He didn’t kick Isaac out when he hooked up with Allison. We’re all better than that. But you two work well together, and if I have to spend one more pack night watching you two blatantly flirt without doing anything about it I’m going to poison you both.”

Derek lets out a burst of startled laughter at that and then nods. “I don’t,” he hesitates. “I don’t know how. To talk about it, you know.”

Lydia gives him a look. “That’s one thing I’ll never understand. You never talk and Stiles never shuts up. I guess he speaks enough for both of you. And I don’t know if you noticed, but Stiles isn’t exactly Mr. Smooth.”

Derek snorts. “That’s not the point. He at least knows how to use words. They’re his weapon of choice.”

Lydia actually smiles at that. “That’s true. But Stiles also knows you.”

Which is also true. Stiles knows him best out of the pack. He’s pretty sure that’s been true since he met them all. If he tries to talk about it and it comes out all wrong, he’s pretty sure he can fix it, because Stiles would be willing to listen if he needed to. And if he doesn’t have the ability to get his point across, Stiles won’t make him feel stupid. Stiles never makes him feel bad for his inability to talk about his emotions. He just gives him that knowing look and changes the subject. Stiles usually knows what he means without him saying it.

“Should I talk to him now?” Derek asks. He’s not sure what he’d say, but it might be better to not think about it beforehand. He might lose his nerve.

Lydia frowns slightly. “I don’t know. I’d say yes, but Stiles was having some sort of crisis in calculus and he has a lot of homework. Maybe tomorrow after school? Before movie night. I’m serious, I can’t take your flirting anymore.”

“A crisis?” Derek remembers Stiles texting him earlier. “Is that why he seemed off? He sent me a text about the pack sucking at pep talks.”

Lydia laughs. “That would be my fault. I told him to get over it.”

Derek grins. “I don’t know, I think your pep talk earlier was pretty good.”

“Yeah, well, Stiles didn’t need a pep talk, he needed to work on his calculus,” Lydia says. “You, on the other hand, needed to get your head on straight. Now, I have to go home, because my mom has some sort of meeting at dinner tonight and for some reason I have to be there.”

“To make a good impression,” Derek says. He’s pretty sure she’s the only one of the pack who can pull that off. It would end in disaster for the rest of them, even Allison if she was in a bad mood. And from the look on her face, Lydia knows it, too.

“Think about it,” she says. “And don’t be an idiot.”

Derek watches her leave and listens to the door close behind her. Before he can sit down and think about any of that, his phone goes off, and he reaches for it. It’s a text from Stiles, and Derek opens it.

_Why do aliens always attack in big flashy ways? Why not be subtle about it? If I were to take over I would want to do it bit by bit, so by the time anyone realized what was happening I already owned most of the world._

Derek shakes his head, grinning, and pulls out a bag of popcorn to pop. He has a feeling this conversation is going to be interesting.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, guys, how's it going?
> 
> So this chapter has been a pain in my ass for the past week. Both because I could not get it to work with me, and also because my wifi sucks and decided to quit on me. I keep my stories on Google Docs, so I couldn't get to it. I finished it just a bit ago, while talking about the latest episode with my beta whatthehale and discussing the various aspects of the Teen Wolf cast we love.
> 
> So this is the last chapter of this particular story, and the next one will maybe take some time to get up, because school and also my original novel, and other fic ideas that are attacking me. But never fear, I shall still be here! Enjoy!

Stiles spends all of Friday at school debating the pros and cons of talking to Derek. On one hand, it would be really cool if he felt the same way. But Stiles’s romantic life, and life in general, doesn’t really point to his luck being that good. And he doesn’t want to make Derek feel uncomfortable. And Stiles is almost one hundred percent sure that admitting a crush on someone makes them uncomfortable. He’s never actually had it happen to him beyond Erica’s admittance to one prior to the werewolf bite. But still. Lydia’s behavior towards him pre-werewolf bite is all the evidence he needs.

But this is huge and on his mind 24/7, and Stiles is really not good at not talking about what’s on his mind. He’s never been good at it, and it gets him in all kinds of trouble. But the person he talks to most right now is Derek, and even if the subject of said crush wasn’t him, Stiles is pretty sure Derek doesn’t have much experience or advice. And if he did, Stiles doesn’t think he’d want it, considering how all of Derek’s relationships have turned out.

He wonders if Derek would even be okay with another relationship, with what’s happened. Stiles isn’t at all subtle with his want of a relationship. His crush on Lydia has pretty much dissipated, though, and he’s not sure he’d want someone outside of the pack. He can’t do the keeping a secret from a loved one thing again, he really can’t. He doesn’t want to bring anyone else into danger either.

Derek’s already aware of the danger. Hell, half the time Derek’s the magnet of said danger. Stiles had no idea why the world hates Derek to such an extreme degree. Derek doesn’t seem to know why, either, and doesn’t seem to know how to stop it, either. Stiles remembers thinking how resigned Derek had been after Boyd’s death, at the hospital while they tried to escape the Alpha pack. Stiles doesn’t want to happen to Derek again. He doesn’t want him to lose anyone or anything else. If he’s being honest, he wants to take Derek and hide him in his room until he’s reasonably sure no one’s going to try to kill them. Of course, Beacon Hills is a crappy place to live with that mindset.

He’s still debating with himself over that when he walks into his room, and it doesn’t immediately hit him that Derek is sitting on his bed, reading a book. He’s already settling down on his chair before it registers, and then he spins so fast he hits his knee on his desk.

“Ow! Shit, that’s gonna bruise,” Stiles rubs his knee and looks up. Derek’s looking at him with a mixture of amusement and concern on his face. Stiles takes a second to admire it before realizing he should probably say something. “Uh, hi. Why are you here? Not that you’re not welcome, just...I would like a reason. You know. Details. They’re kinda my thing.”

Now Derek looks just amused, and there’s something in his eyes that Stiles recognizes as fondness after a second. That’s slightly off-putting and Stiles is so focused on it he almost misses when Derek opens his mouth to answer his question.

“There’s something we should talk about,” he says.

“Oh,” Stiles says. “Is it about tonight? Because I know it’s Isaac’s turn to pick, and sometimes his movie choices confuse me. He likes sci fi, but he sometimes picks movies that just should not exist. What are we even eating for dinner? Oh, shit, it’s my turn to pick it up. I should probably figure that out. Hey, have you seen _Catching Fire_ yet? I feel like we should go see that as a pack, but I also feel like that would be a giant mistake and we’d get kicked out. Not to mention the cost of the snacks, that would be a _nightmare_.”

Stiles is rambling more than usual and he’s completely aware of it, but his mouth is not listening to his brain. He’s sending _shut up!_ from his brain to his mouth but there seems to be an interruption in the signal, because he keeps talking. Derek looks slightly confused, but still amused and maybe a little bit relieved? The world has gone insane. Stiles really doesn’t know what to think.

“Hey, speaking of nightmares, did I tell you about the one that I had involving scarecrows wearing Isaac’s scarf the other night? Because that was completely terrifying. Why does he wear the scarf? Is it too cold for him? Because I thought werewolves had a higher body temperature than normal people. Or is that only in _Twilight_? Oh, God, I did not just ask that.”

Derek lets out a laugh and says, “Are you okay?”

“I will be if you promise to never tell anyone I’ve read _Twilight_ ,” Stiles says, completely serious.

Derek nods, also serious, although Stiles is pretty sure he’s fighting back another laugh. “Deal.”

“So, uh, I’m assuming what you wanted to talk about wasn’t any of that, and you may want to just start talking because if you don’t I’m going to keep going,” Stiles says. As soon as he’s done, he puts his hand over his mouth and gestures with the other to Derek.

Derek just looks at him for a second before letting out a breath. “I’m not good at this.”

Stiles doesn’t dare take his hand off of his mouth, and just raises an eyebrow. Derek’s gone from openly amused to looking like a kicked and frustrated puppy. He looks like there’s something on the tip of his tongue that he can’t spit out. Stiles usually takes that as a cue to start talking, but he’s got the feeling that what Derek wants to say is important. That thought sets off a bunch of other thoughts involving death and werewolves and the probability of him dying before he graduates high school. It’s surreal that he has to worry about dying and calculus homework at the same time.

Stiles can’t remember if he took his Adderall earlier. He’s thinking not.

Derek’s watching him closely, with a look that says he’s unable to put what he wants to say into words. This usually comes after the first half of a statement, and Stiles can usually fill in the rest of the sentence, but Derek hasn’t really said anything yet and Stiles doesn’t even know why he’s here. This is their friendship. Stiles thinks he’s getting a headache.

Derek lets out an annoyed noise. Stiles is confused for a second before he realizes Derek is annoyed with himself and not with him, and takes his hand off of his mouth. His mind jumps back to what he’d been thinking about earlier and opens his mouth, but luckily Derek cuts him off before he can get started.

“I’m not good at emotions.”

Stiles blinks, because he has no idea what to do with that statement. It's an obvious thing to anyone that knows Derek, but Stiles feels like he's missing something. Like there's more to that sentence than he realizes. He thinks Derek thinks he should understand what that means, but Stiles is not following him at all. It's a strange feeling, like there's a puzzle piece that he needs before everything makes sense.

"Uh, okay?" he says. "Am I missing something here?"

Derek sighs and puts his head in his hands. Stiles doesn't know what to do with that.

"Sorry,” Stiles says, wondering what the hell was going on.

“Don’t apologize, it’s not your fault,” Derek says, not looking up. Stiles doesn’t think they’ve ever had a more awkward conversation. If this can even be classified as a conversation. He wonders for a second what the qualifications of a conversation are before firmly shutting down that train of thought. He doesn’t need to get completely distracted.

“Are you okay?” Stiles asks Derek. Because the werewolf does not look okay. He looks upset and frustrated, and Stiles doesn’t know what’s going on. Derek looks up at him, and shrugs helplessly.

“Did something happen?” Stiles asks. “Did I miss something while I was out of school? Hey, if someone is allergic to something and then gets bit and turned into a werewolf, do they still have that allergy?”

Derek looks up, completely confused, and Stiles realizes he’d completely changed the subject in the middle of that. He hadn’t meant to.

“Sorry,” he says. “I can’t remember if I took my Adderall this morning. I don’t think I did.”

Derek’s face does something funny, like he’s trying not to laugh, and Stiles grins at him. Derek seems to relax, and Stiles celebrates and pretends like he’d done it all on purpose. It’s not like anyone can prove otherwise. He thinks. He wonders if they know any mind readers. He really hopes not.

“This is not going the way I wanted it to,” Derek mumbles.

“Dude, no conversation with me goes as planned,” Stiles says. “But I still don’t know what we’re talking about.”

“Yeah, that’s the problem,” Derek says. Stiles blinks at him. Derek just shakes his head and Stiles takes a second to think before remembering what Scott had said in the locker room the day before. About Derek feeling the same way. And suddenly he thinks he knows what’s going on. And his mouth betrays him, because he has absolutely no filter, especially when something surprises him.

“Hey, when Scott cornered me in the locker room yesterday he said you like me. Is that true?”

Derek blinks at him. Stiles curses his lack of control over his mouth and feels his face turning red and starts talking again, not giving Derek a chance to react.

“Because I mean, if you don’t, that’s cool, but if you do and you know, you’re willing to give it a try, I’m in. I don’t have much experience, or _any_ experience actually, and I know you have a shitty track record, but I’m pretty sure that’s not your fault. The world just kind of seems to hate you. Hey, do you think if you were human instead of werewolf it would still be like that? I’m sorry, I’m really trying to shut up but my mouth isn’t agreeing with me. I ramble all the time but it gets way worse when I’m nervous and this is pretty nerve wracking. It’s like my brain goes, ‘Well, shit, this is bad, how can I make it worse?’”

“Stiles,” Derek interrupts him, and to Stiles’s relief, he doesn’t look offended, or disgusted. In fact, he looks really relieved, and that’s enough to shock Stiles into silence.

Derek runs a hand through his own hair, making it stick up. Stiles is distracted by that for a second until Derek starts to speak again.

“If -- if you’re okay with giving it a try,” he says with a questioning tone. Stiles blinks, having momentarily forgot what was going on, and then remembers exactly what was going on.

“Really?” he says, not bothering to hide his surprise. Scott was right -- who knew? “Uh, definitely. I’m up for it. I’m all for it. I’m going to stop talking now.”

Derek’s got a look on his face, a mixture of hope and amusement, and it’s something Stiles has never seen on his face. He thinks he likes the variety of facial expressions he’s getting to see from Derek nowadays. And to think, the entire thing had started because he’d received a picture on Snapchat of Derek laughing. He thinks he likes the way his plan has turned out so far, and is determined to keep it going. He also feels a sense of relief, that he wasn’t immediately rejected. He can do this.

“So, when, then?” he asks.

Derek blinks at him. “Tomorrow? I don’t have to go into the station until Sunday.”

“Tomorrow works,” Stiles nods. “Shit, I still need to find out what we’re all eating for dinner,” he pulls his phone out and looks at it. He’s still got an hour until they’re supposed to meet up, which is a relief.

“Uh,” Derek suddenly says, and Stiles looks up. “I don’t have my car.”

“Did you walk here?” Stiles raises an eyebrow.

“I was out running,” Derek shrugs. Stiles doesn’t question this. He looks back at his phone, looking through his list of their favorite food places.

“I can give you a ride,” he says. “Do you remember what we’re supposed to eat tonight? Because I don’t. God, I hate forgetting my Adderall.”

“Indian, I think,” Derek says.

“Indian it is,” Stiles says, sending a text to everyone asking for their orders. He doesn’t send it to Derek, since he’s pretty sure he’s coming along. “Do you need to get anything from your apartment? Where do you keep your everlasting supply of Doritos and Dr. Pepper?”

Derek looks amused. “I usually go to the store on my way to Scott’s.”

“Oh,” Stiles says. That makes sense. “That’s not as exciting as I was hoping. Although I guess more excitement in our life is kind of uncalled for. Hey, have you ever wondered if time travel is real? I feel like we’re going to find out sooner or later, with our luck, but like, what kind of time travel? _Doctor Who_? _Back to the Future_? Also, does the government have people who know about the supernatural? Because there’s a lot of crazy shit that goes down and I don’t see how they couldn’t. Maybe it’s like SHIELD. I wanna join.”

Derek doesn’t say anything, but he’s got an amused look on his face, like he likes listening to Stiles talk. Stiles appreciates it and talks all the way to the store, then to the Indian restaurant, and doesn’t stop as they enter Scott’s house.

“But seriously, don’t you think the best way to win a fight is to not let the other side know it’s a fight?” Stiles is saying as he opens the door at Scott’s. “I mean, if you don’t let them know they need a defense, they won’t have one. And then it’s just a simple matter of keeping them down.”

“That is a frighteningly good point,” Scott says as he appears in the entryway. “Hey, Derek.”

Scott’s giving them both a knowing look, and Stiles kind of wants to hit him. Instead, he says, “Of course it is, it came from me,” and walks into the kitchen. He hears Scott snort, and Derek mutters something that he can’t make out that makes Scott outright laugh.

“I don’t know what you said, but I’m going to assume it was insulting,” Stiles doesn’t bother to raise his voice. “If it was, you’re a dick.”

“He said you forgot to take your Adderall,” Scott calls over to him.

“Oh,” Stiles says. “Well, I can’t remember if I took it or not, but all signs are pointing to ‘no.’”

“How much caffeine have you had today?” Scott asks, coming into the kitchen. Isaac appears in at the other door, and looks slightly confused.

“Uh,” Stiles says, and looks at Derek.

“What?” Derek asks.

“I can’t remember,” Stiles says.

“Stiles is forgetful when he’s off his Adderall,” Scott says. “What time did you two meet up?”

“He was waiting for me in my room right after school,” Stiles answers.

Scott snorts. “Ah, just like the good ‘ole days.”

Derek gives him a look. “You were the one who did it to me on Sunday.”

“Wait, what?” Stiles hasn’t heard this story. Then he narrows his eyes at Scott. “You can’t talk, either. You’ve done it to me, too.”

Now Isaac snorts. Stiles gives him a look, too, because he knows Isaac’s done it to Allison before.

“All you werewolves are creepers,” he says, and then starts pulling containers of food out.

“What does this have to do with Stiles and caffeine?” Isaac asks.

“That sounds like a dangerous mix,” Lydia says as she walks in, Allison directly behind her.

“Not when he’s off his meds,” Scott says. “When he forgets his Adderall, just give him caffeine. It helps him calm down, at least a bit.”

Stiles is pretending he can’t hear them. They’re talking about him like he’s not even there anyway. Although he supposes that’s a good thing, because he loses track of the conversation after that due to the fact that he starts thinking about peanut butter and whether or not the werewolves would do the same thing as dogs do. He’s fairly certain if he asked, he’d get growls from all three of them.

“Stiles?” Scott’s voice says, and he looks at him, and sees everyone looking at him.

“Huh?” he says. “Sorry. I was thinking about peanut butter. I should have made cookies. I could really go for some peanut butter cookies right now. Someone remind me to make them tomorrow.”

Scott just nods and hands him a Mountain Dew. Stiles gives him a grin and opens the can before sitting down in between Scott and Derek.

And so it goes. Isaac picks _Back to the Future I_ , which prompts a look from Derek to Stiles. Lydia sees it, and fixes Derek with a knowing look, which makes Stiles very suspicious. The pack is full of meddling people, how dare they. Except they’re totally allowed to. Stiles’s headache from earlier has returned.

When the movie ends, Stiles and Derek leave together, since Derek still doesn’t have a car, and Stiles drops Derek off on the way home. He waves at Derek as the werewolf gets out, and Derek actually waves back before walking away.

Stiles drives home, greets his dad, and heads to his room, feeling the caffeine starting kick in. He drops into bed and closes his eyes, ready to go to sleep. He’s actually starting to drift off, when suddenly he realizes what’s happening.

He’s going on a date.

With Derek.

_HOLY SHIT._


End file.
